ACA Hurricane
The ACA Hurricane was a 130dB civilian defense siren, created in 1968, and stopped production around 1980, produced by Alerting Communicators of America, now American Signal Corporation.
History
The ACA Hurricane 130 was designed by Alerting Communicators of America and presented at a Civil Defense convention in November, 1968. They introduced other sirens, however, this utilized new fiber casting techniques, never before used by any other company. The Hurricane started off with a square horn that ended with two throats where the horn attaches to the chopper enclosure. These were produced until 1973, when a larger, rounded horn was made that was a true exponential horn. The siren was popular with towns looking for a high output 130dB siren. The corporation continued production until 1980, when it was replaced with the P-50 50 HP, 135 dB siren (also known as the T-135). All Hurricanes are very rare, as most of them have been replaced by newer sirens. Additionally, the Hurricane siren was a supercharged mechanical siren, utilizing a blower and high output chopper similar to the Federal Signal Thunderbolt.
Technical information
| Year | Type | Horn Shape | Rotor/Stator Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Hurricane 130 | Square | 10/12 | Cylinder shaped rotator assembly, with small collector rings. |
| 1970s | Hurricane 130 | Square | 10/12, 8/10, 8/12, 8/8, 10/10, and 12/12 | Bigger rotator, with larger collector rings for better performance. |
| 1973 | Hurricane 130 MKII | Round | Same as later 130. | This type onwards used a 30 HP compressor, as opposed to earlier 25 HP compressor. |
| Mid-1970s | Hurricane 130 MKII | Round | Same as earlier MKII | Used modified rotator to allow for easy maintenance. Is the most commonly seen Hurricane of all types. |
Cities using the Hurricane 130
| Cities Using Or That Have Used The ACA Hurricane | Number of Sirens, Operation Status | Model |
|---|---|---|
| Addyston, OH | 1, Removed | MKII-130 |
| Baxter, MN | 1, Removed | 130 |
| Crystal River, FL | Approximately 10, Removed (Crystal River NPP system) | MKII-130 |
| Centralia, IL | 1, Removed In 2010, In Private Possession | 130 |
| Darien, IL | 2, 1 Still Operational, 1 Removed for Private Possession. | MKII-130 |
| Fayetteville, OH | 1, Removed | MKII-130 |
| Garland, TX | 4, Removed | MKII-130 |
| Greendale, WI | 1, Removed | MKII-130 |
| Greenville, TX | 2, most likely inactive | MKII-130 |
| La Crescent, MN | 3, Removed (1 Hurricane MKII-130 is replaced by a Sentry siren and other Hurricane is replaced by a Federal Signal 2001-130) | MKII-130 |
| Milwaukee, WI | 2, 1 operational. The other one is stored at the ASC Headquarters. | MKII-130 |
References
http://civildefensemuseum.org/sirens/hcane/station3b.jpg
http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/sirens/sirenpx4.html